Looking for good areas with a decent commute time into downtown Seattle.

[compltlyme]

I have been pleased with The Lake WA School dist. Yes there could be room for improvement...but then maybe they should pay the teachers more across the entire US and we wouldn't have as much trouble.

I can say this because I was a great teacher.. kids and parents loved me. But I couldn't afford to support my kids and myself on a teachers salary. Not even in the private school level.

[noplacelikeWA]

Schools are bad in Washington but not because of underpaid teachers. I commend teachers for doing a thankless job that sets up both students and teachers for failure. It's really a combination of problems starting with the social breakdown of the family, very questionable curriculum, and let's not forget the "conditioning" required to pass the WASL.

How should we rate schools? Which is more important to you... academics and test scores or strong character and level headed kids?

It only takes watching the evening news or even a trip to the local mall to catch a glimpse of what these "great" schools are doing for our kids. Ask yourself how far would you get in "the real adult world" dressing or behaving like your typical Washington teenager? You're kidding yourself if you think smart kids with poor character and worse social skills are headed for success.

If academics are more important to you, feel free to take a first hand look at the curriculum crisis we face in WA. Check out this video "Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth" hosted by MJ McDermott, Q-13 TV Weather Forecaster, and posted on [youtube] www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI

[seahawksweetie]

It only takes watching the evening news or even a trip to the local mall to catch a glimpse of what these "great" schools are doing for our kids. Ask yourself how far would you get in "the real adult world" dressing or behaving like your typical Washington teenager? You're kidding yourself if you think smart kids with poor character and worse social skills are headed for success.


Wouldn't this be more of an example of a lack of parenting skills than how the teachers are doing their jobs? How they dress or behave is very much an example of the type of home environment they have. Teachers are to teach and parents are to raise and nurture their own kids to become responsible adults. Teachers are not to replace parents.

[noplacelikeWA]

Originally Posted by seahawksweetie

It only takes watching the evening news or even a trip to the local mall to catch a glimpse of what these "great" schools are doing for our kids. Ask yourself how far would you get in "the real adult world" dressing or behaving like your typical Washington teenager? You're kidding yourself if you think smart kids with poor character and worse social skills are headed for success.


Wouldn't this be more of an example of a lack of parenting skills than how the teachers are doing their jobs? How they dress or behave is very much an example of the type of home environment they have. Teachers are to teach and parents are to raise and nurture their own kids to become responsible adults. Teachers are not to replace parents.

I agree Teachers are not to replace parents and I did not say teachers were the problem, maybe you were just reading between the lines....

Originally Posted by noplacelikeWA

Schools are bad in Washington but not because of underpaid teachers. I commend teachers for doing a thankless job that sets up both students and teachers for failure. It's really a combination of problems starting with the social breakdown of the family, very questionable curriculum, and let's not forget the "conditioning" required to pass the WASL.

[seahawksweetie]

I might have been and if so, I apologize. Maybe we were both trying to say the same thing, just in a different way.

Hope you guys aren't melting too much up there today.

[noplacelikeWA]

Originally Posted by seahawksweetie

I might have been and if so, I apologize. Maybe we were both trying to say the same thing, just in a different way.

Hope you guys aren't melting too much up there today.

No problem, and yes we are melting but it is great!

[kgrove]

We live in Fairwood and my dh's commute to downtown Seattle is 30-40 minutes. The schools are great, go to GreatSchools.net and type in Ridgewood Elementary, Northwood Junior High or Kentridge High School to start. Very family friendly.

ALL neighborhoods are great. The zipcode to do a home search is 98058. Fairwood is still unincorporated so some of the addresses say Renton and some say Maple Valley. Fairwood is located just east of Renton, west of Maple Valley, south of the Maple Valley Hwy and just north of Kent.

Moderator cut: no MLS numbers!

[martina26]

To avoid the commute you will want to live someplace with a "reverse commute." Renton is a city I might suggest. The bad area is in the Renton valley running along Rainier Ave. If you live up in the hills, in the Renton Highlands you will find good prices and a SAFE area. The commute into Seattle will rarely land you in traffic, and you can hop back onto I-5 and hit no traffic. If you live north of Seattle, you will be guaranteed to be in heavy traffic to and from work. I have lived here my entire life in every area of Seattle and western WA, if you want further honest, non-biased info about certain areas, send me a message.